24 Celebrities Who Have Crohn’s or Ulcerative Colitis
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can strike anyone at any time and being a celebrity does not make you immune. IBD doesn’t shy away from the rich, powerful, and famous. It also doesn’t stop them from achieving greatness!
Here is a list of 24 celebrities, from the worlds of sports, music, politics and more, all with either Crohn’s or Ulcerative Colitis. If you have kids, this would be a great blog to share with them. I know my son Caleb (who has Crohn’s) really enjoyed it. Let them know, they’re not alone in their disease and they can accomplish anything they set their hearts and minds to. Just take a look below.
LA Lakers basketball star, Larry Nance Jr. says it best “Never let it hold you back or limit your life in any way.”
President Dwight D. Eisenhower
The 34th President of the United States of America was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease while in office in 1956. Despite being hospitalized at Walter Reed Hospital, where he underwent surgery, President Eisenhower was re-elected to a second term.
Hollywood Actress Shannen Doherty
Famous for her role as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 and as Prue Halliwell on Charmed, Shannen Doherty has played some great characters on television and the big screen. While filming for these and other roles, she was battling Crohn’s, but kept it from the public. In a 1999 interview with Star magazine, Doherty disclosed her condition, revealing that she had remained silent about it because it wasn’t very sexy.
Canadian Hockey Star Theoren Fleury
Theoren Fleury is another athlete, famous for his ice hockey career. The retired Canadian hockey star is a Stanley Cup champ and an Olympic gold medal winner. In 1995, Fleury was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and today is a motivational speaker.
Hollywood Actress Amy Brenneman
Amy Brenneman is a well-known Hollywood actress who has starred in television hits like Judging Amy, Grey’s Anatomy, and Private Practice. Off-camera, she uses her celebrity as a strong supporter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. Brenneman struggled with ulcerative colitis, one form of IBD, for years before she finally agreed to surgery, which she says on the CCFA Web site, is what ultimately healed her. Brenneman is an advocate for CCFA, because she wants to help the millions of others struggling with ulcerative colitis.
Comedian Ben Morrison
Some people take their problems in stride, while others make fun of them. Comedian Ben Morrison turned his awkward years in high school and college as a student “with a poop disease” to create his funny and cathartic show, “Pain in the Butt: a Touching Tale about a Touchy Tail.”
Former New England Patriots Offensive Lineman Matt Light
Matt Light was diagnosed during his rookie season in 2001 and quietly battled Crohn’s for a decade. Light says that during his football career, he couldn’t take most Crohn’s medications, and missed games because he was too sick to play. The three-time Super Bowl champion eventually had surgery to remove more than a foot of his intestine. Now retired from football, the athlete shares his story with others to raise awareness and educate the public about Crohn’s disease.
President John F. Kennedy
The former president may have had a heart-stopping smile, but behind it was pain. Though it was hidden from the public during his presidency, JFK struggled for most of his life with severe diarrhea and took antispasmodic drugs to try to control his IBD. Reviews of his medical records indicate that he may have suffered from ulcerative colitis, and some reports show he was diagnosed as a child. Other reports on his health indicate that he may have had IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome, rather than ulcerative colitis.
L.A. Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr.
L.A. Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. is on steroids, but not the performance enhancing drugs you might think. Nance confided recently that he takes prednisone for Crohn’s disease. He also takes Remicade, which he says changed his life. The basketball player has lived with Crohn’s since he was first diagnosed at age 16. Today, at age 24, he’s in remission. His message is always the same: “Never let it hold you back or limit your life in any way.”
Marvin Bush
Marvin Bush is the youngest son of former President George H.W. Bush. In 1990, he was a celebrity spokesman for the National Foundation for Ileitis and Colitis, speaking out about the Ulcerative Colitis diagnosis he received in 1985, when he was 28 years old. He tried medications, he told The Baltimore Sun in an interview, but lived in denial about his IBD. The next year, hospitalized after losing 30 pounds and suffering from severe internal bleeding, he underwent surgery to remove his colon.
Buffalo Bills Offensive Tackle Seantrel Henderson
Last year, the NFL suspended Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson for 10 games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. According to CBS Sports, Henderson was taking prescribed medical marijuana for both his Crohn’s disease and the pain resulting from two intestinal surgeries tied to the condition. In an interview last October with the Buffalo News, Henderson told the newspaper, “I’ve got doctors telling me this is the №1 medicine that would help with your disease. You try to tell that to the league, and it seems like they didn’t care too much.”
Olympic Rowing Champion Sir Steve Redgrave
Five-time Olympic rowing champion Sir Steve Redgrave is one very successful athlete, in fact one of the most accomplished. As he was training for the Barcelona Olympic games, he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. He received treatment for his IBD and was able to successfully compete until his retirement after the 2000 Sydney Olympic games. Redgrave is one of many famous people who support Crohn’s and Colitis UK and helps bring awareness to ulcerative colitis.
NFL Quarterback David Garrard
Drafted in 2002, David Garrard played quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars. In 2004, he was diagnosed with Crohn’s and underwent surgery that removed nearly a foot of his intestines. Still, he played in the 2004 season as starting quarterback for the Jaguars.
Former Whitehouse Press Secretary Tony Snow
Former White House press secretary Snow died at age 53 after a battle with colon cancer. In a 2006 radio interview with Houston gastroenterologist Joseph S. Galati, MD, Snow, then a Fox News commentator, says, “I had Ulcerative Colitis for 27 years. It is, at least in my case, probably congenital.”
Musician Mike McCready
Diagnosed at the age of 21, Mike McCready took control of his condition and went on to help form Pearl Jam in 1990, igniting the grunge rock era.
After publicly announcing his condition, McCready took on the activist role, volunteering with the northwest chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, including lending his talents for fundraisers.
Nightline Co-Anchor Cynthia McFadden
Cynthia and Primetime and a correspondent for ABC News. McFadden also has to treat Crohn’s disease daily. She, like many other celebrities, uses her notoriety to raise awareness about the condition, including public service announcements.
Singer/Songwriter Anastacia
At the age of 13, Anastacia, an American singer and songwriter, was diagnosed with Crohn’s. After undergoing surgery to remove part of her intestinal tract, she was bound to a wheelchair and had to learn how to walk again. While trying to lose weight to make it in show business, she suffered a severe flare.
Canadian Right Wing Kevin Dineen
The Canadian right wing struggled with Crohn’s disease throughout his 19-year National Hockey League career, particularly in the early years after his 1987 diagnosis.
Dineen, now coach of the Florida Panthers, tells USA Hockey magazine that the disease was “a real eye-opening experience” because there’s no quick fix. “This is a chronic, debilitating disease that’s with you for life,” he says. “It took me a couple of years to come to grips with that.”
Singer/Songwriter Beth Orton
Elizabeth Caroline “Beth” Orton is an English singer-songwriter, known for her ‘folktronica’ sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica. She was initially recognized for her collaborations with William Orbit, Red Snapper and the Chemical Brothers in the mid-1990s. She released a solo album in 1993, Superpinkymandy, but since the album was only released in Japan, it went largely unnoticed by international audiences.
The Movie “Alien”
What wasn’t widely known about this cult classic of a movie is that the writer of the script for the 70’s cult class, “Alien,” (O’Bannon, who died in 2009) battled Crohn’s disease himself. According to a recent book by colleague Zinoman; “The digestion process felt like something bubbling inside of [O’Bannon] struggling to get out. From his own torment came the idea for the alien bloodily punching its way out of John Hurt’s chest during dinner.”
Olympic Kayaker Carrie Johnson
Kayaker Carrie Johnson made it to three Summer Olympic Games despite her Crohn’s disease. Back in 2003, anemia, fatigue, and weight loss forced her to stop training. After many tests, she was diagnosed with Crohn’s, and doctors helped her manage the disease. She qualified for her first Olympics in Athens a year later. In her most recent Olympics, the 2012 London Games, Johnson reached the semifinals in two events.
George “The Animal” Steele
His given name is William James (Jim) Myers, but professional wrestling fans know him as George “The Animal” Steele. His career in the ring spanned more than two decades, culminating in his induction into the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame in 1995. Steele’s fight with Crohn’s disease began in 1988. He says he regained his health after a 2002 surgery to remove his colon.
Golfer James Morrison
British golfer James Morrison was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease when he was 16 years old. During the 2011 French Open, a flare-up landed him in the hospital, but Morrison rallied and managed to finish the competition. Although most people with Crohn’s have to watch what they eat, Morrison says he doesn’t have many problems with his diet. But, he adds, symptoms like fatigue tend to creep up in warm weather. To stay in tip-top shape for golfing, Morrison exercises and takes dietary supplements.
Soccer Star Darren Fletcher
Soccer star Darren Fletcher, a midfielder for Manchester United, is struggling to maintain his superstar soccer celebrity while battling Ulcerative Colitis. Diagnosed in 2011, he had to sit out part of a season before he returned to the field in September 2012. But in January 2013, Fletcher announced he was stepping off the field again in order to undergo surgery to get his ulcerative colitis under control and hopefully be able to resume his career on the soccer field.
Musician Chris Conley
Christopher Lane “Chris” Conley is an American musician, songwriter, and composer. He is also the lead-singer/rhythm guitarist in Saves the Day. He is the only remaining original member, as well as major artistic contributor. Chris continued to tour despite having Crohn’s disease.
We’re continuing the list:
Olympic Swimmer Kathleen Baker
Kathleen Baker is an American competition swimmer who specializes in the freestyle and backstroke events. She won a gold medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics in the 4×100-meter medley relay and a silver medal in the individual 100-meter backstroke. When she was 11, she watched the Olympics in Beijing and fell in love. When she was 14, she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and everyone thought her dreams of becoming an Olympian were over. Boy were the wrong.
SNL Cast Member Pete Davidson
Pete was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease when he was 17 years old and had been a big proponent of medical marijuana for years, while working on the cast of Saturday Night Live. He is now clean and sober — “I quit drugs and am clean and sober for the first time in 8 years. It wasn’t easy, but I got a great girl, great friends and consider myself a lucky man”.
San Diego Chargers Placekicker Rolf Benirschke
As the third most accurate placekicker in NFL history at the time of his retirement, Rolf Benirschke had an famous 10-year career with the San Diego Chargers from 1977 to 1986. In his second season, Rolf was struck with ulcerative colitis, which required major abdominal surgery the following season, and nearly cost him his life. His faith, family, personal drive and teammates helped him return to the NFL to continue his remarkable football career.
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We are building a community of likeminded parents and children with autoimmume illnesses to share stories of strength, insight and wisdom. We all learn from one another. If you would like to be a part of Caleb’s Cooking Company and share your story, please contact me at cfrei@calebscookingcompany.com. Thanks!
